During the last twenty years, Chilean agriculture has
experienced unequaled modernization and growth. The uneven
character of this process shows that economic development
and the expansion of some agricultural sub-sectors can be
associated with the absolute and relative increase of
poverty, particularly in rural areas. This dissertation
postulates that the disarticulated nature of the
accumulation pattern has impeded the achievement of
sustained national growth and social equity, as well as
threatened the preservation of national food security.
This study explains the disarticulated character of
Chilean agricultural growth during the last 25 years,
analyzes the effects that disarticulation has on national
food production and consumption levels, and attempts to
advance some policy alternatives. An important contribution
of this dissertation is to interpret the ongoing process of
regional differentiation in Chilean agriculture through the
analytical framework of disarticulated growth.
The results of this study indicate that decreasing
disarticulation requires restructuring of the prevalent
accumulation pattern. Otherwise, alternative policy
instruments would not accomplish the goals of growth,
equity, and sustainability. The development of the
agricultural export sector is nut contradictory to the
achievement of sustainability and equity. In fact the
expansion of the export sector could contribute to the
articulation of the economy. However, this would require a
shift in the investment priorities and increasing state
support to the annual crops and livestock sub-sectors,
particularly to the campesino producers. At the same time,
investment in the agroexport sector would have to shift from
expanding production via incorporation of new lands to
increasing productivity and overall increasing the value of
the products. That is, investment would have to be geared
toward agroindustrial processes that would add value to the
unprocessed agricultural commodities that are currently
exported. Finally, sectoral and macroeconomic policy should
contribute to internal expansion by increasing employment
and minimum wage levels.
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